Teach-In: Movement for Black Lives
shayna cureton
On Saturday, October 1st at Allen Temple Baptist Church, as a part of the BLM Election Town Hall and Candidate Forum, Abundant Beginnings collaborated with Bay Area SURJ, Rice and Beans Cooperative, Sama Sama Cooperative, Radical Monarchs, Our Family Coalition and Coleman Advocates to organize and host a concurrent Children’s Town Hall. This Children’s Town Hall aimed to help children learn about and understand the Movement for Black Lives Platform and allow them to practice ways to use their voice to influence this election!
After a Morning Welcome Circle and Power Chant, youth ages 5 - 14 moved through different interactive learning stations as cohorts. The four stations focused on: 1) Kid-Friendly language of the Ten Demands put forth by the Movement for Black Lives, 2) Letter writing to Mayor Libby informed by #ByeLibby, 3) An interactive tri-fold about Divest-Invest, and 4) How community members can particpate in the process of how a bill becomes a law.
After a nutritious lunch, the children talked about what a demand is and brainstormed how it could be met. Then, the children played with megaphones and organized an action. They marched into the concurrent BLM Election Town Hall chanting, “We demand that no police and no guns should be in schools!” At the closing circle, the children debriefed the youth-led campaign and action and shared that they felt successful in disrupting the meeting. We’d like to thank all of the families and children that played with us and learned about the voting process and the Movement for Black Lives!
A moment of learning at the Children's Town Hall, as part of the BLM Election Town Hall. At this interactive learning station, children explored the meaning of Divest-Invest, from the Movement for Black Lives Platform. They decided where our money should go by placing dollars into different pockets on the board. The children demand that we invest in schools!